Here’s a direct quotation from an email I received from the Canadian Home Builders Association BC. I tried to find a link to the article, but wasn’t able to. Regardless, here’s the email.

BURNABY, May 26, 2009 – In a report released today by the Construction Sector Council, new research and data indicate that British Columbia’s construction industry will weather the recession better than many other industries thanks to government infrastructure spending.

Industry and labour representatives, including CHBA BC Chief Executive Officer, M.J. Whitemarsh, are meeting at the BC Construction Labour Market Symposium to find ways of ensuring that our sector is ready for the next wave of construction.

“The government has committed to increased spending on key infrastructure projects which will create jobs and boost our economy over the next several years,” said Whitemarsh. “We must do our part and ensure that our skilled trades are educated and trained to meet the upcoming demand.”

Tied to today’s announcement from the Federal government to propose a number of changes to the Canada Pension Plan to better reflect the way Canadians live, work and retire, industry must take advantage of mobilizing our older workers and creating a mentorship highway sharing skills learned through many years.

“Training our new work force and up-skilling those already in it is becoming a crucial necessity. Mentorship opportunities must be utilized,” added Whitemarsh.

The Construction Sector Council’s “Construction Looking Forward”, a detailed forecast of labour market trends, highlights that over the short term government related construction, with strong infrastructure stimulus programs, will play an important role in creating employment opportunities. As economic conditions improve, construction activity will expand throughout the forecast period.

The report finds that 26,000 new workers will be required from now until 2017 to replace retiring baby boomers. Another 6,400 workers will be needed to meet the medium to long term rise in construction activity.

BC’s Construction Looking Forward Scenario 2009 – 2017 will be available in the coming weeks along with a summary from the BC Labour Market Symposium and all forecast scenario data at www.constructionforecasts.ca.

The Canadian Home Builders’ Association of BC, a viable industry driven organization, is the voice of the residential construction industry in BC, and is built on a vision of strong and positive roles for the housing industry. CHBA BC is committed to supporting the professionalism of our over 1700 members and providing affordability, quality and choice for consumers. CHBA BC’s voluntary membership comprises builders, developers, renovators, suppliers and other professionals who are dedicated to industry excellence.

I’m glad they’re looking forward to ensure the mentorship is in place to foster a new wave of young, motivation construction experts!